As a district judge read the allegations against a Bethlehem woman charged Monday with killing her estranged boyfriend, Ebony Jones sobbed and put her head down on a table.

Jones, 31, allegedly threw two kitchen knives at Ismail Bonets during a heated domestic dispute early Monday in the kitchen of her home in the city's Marvin-Pembroke area. Police said Bonets, 37, of New York City, died of a stab wound to the chest.

As District Judge Patricia Romig-Passaro read Bonets' name from the paperwork filed by police, Jones moaned and rocked her head back and forth. During Jones' hearing on a single count of homicide, Romig-Passaro warned her to have no contact with Bonets' family.

"I can't answer that question," Romig-Passaro said. "That's not up to me to decide."

Police said Jones' three children — ages 6, 9 and 11 — were in her home in the 1200 block of Woodbine Street at the time of the killing. They were not hurt and are being cared for by a family friend, authorities say.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Ebony Anniqua Jones, 31, is charged with one count of homicide stemming from a domestic dispute at 1260 Woodbine St. in the Marvine-Pembroke section of Bethlehem.

Ebony Anniqua Jones, 31, is charged with one count of homicide stemming from a domestic dispute at 1260 Woodbine St. in the Marvine-Pembroke section of Bethlehem. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

According to police:

Bonets was in Bethlehem to attend a parent-teacher conference with the 6-year-old daughter he has with Jones.

Jones said she and Bonets argued when he arrived at her home, although police did not say what the argument was about. While in the kitchen, Jones said, Bonets was "coming toward her" and she grabbed two knives and threw them at him.

Jones turned to run out the door and heard Bonets call her name. When Jones turned around, she saw Bonets collapsed on the kitchen floor.

Jones called 911 just before 2 a.m. and said, "I threw a knife at him. He is not breathing."

Bonets was pronounced dead around 3 a.m. from the knife wound to the chest, authorities said.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said he will assess the degree of homicide in the killing, noting it could be anything from first-degree homicide to involuntary manslaughter.

Morganelli and Bethlehem police Chief Mark DiLuzio said they hoped the killing would serve as a warning to others who may be involved in domestic disputes around the holidays to reach out if help is needed.

"We know that there are pressures put on people during the holiday, financial and otherwise, and it goes without saying that just about every year as we move into the holidays, we have a situation like this," Morganelli said.

He called Monday's killing "particularly tragic" because of the children who were in the home at the time.

"We have a situation where the caretaker of these three young children is in custody, which means that these kids are innocent victims of this tragic domestic violence incident," Morganelli said.

Two of Jones' friends, Juan Saborit and Micia Best, attended her arraignment.

Saborit, who lives on Fritz Drive in Bethlehem, said he learned of the killing when Jones' brother called him early Monday.

"I thought he was kidding because I had just spoken with her the night before," Saborit said. "I hung up the phone and went back to sleep."

Saborit said Bonets treated Jones' other two children as his own and described her as a loving mother.

"They would fight with words, but nothing like this, " Saborit said.

Jones was handcuffed and wearing blue paper scrubs with booties on her feet because police had to seize the clothes she was wearing to analyze for evidence. As Jones' body was wracked with sobs, the paper pants and leg shackles rattled loudly.

At Monday's hearing, Jones also learned she was being evicted from her apartment for not paying her rent. Jones asked her friends where her children were and if they could put her things in storage.

"Don't you worry about it," Best said. "You are going to be OK."

Two weeks ago, Jones pleaded guilty to charges filed in 2012 that she bit and scratched Bethlehem police officers and paramedics when they found her intoxicated walking near her home. Jones pleaded guilty to harassment, police said.

Outside Jones' home Monday morning, neighbors watched police work as they hung Christmas lights and garland on their front porches.

A neighbor said she heard the couple fighting just before dozens of police cars rushed to the home.

"I knew there was yelling and screaming," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "There are kids there and it's a real shame."